New Beginnings
by The Black Rose16
Summary: Starting University is a nerve-racking and exciting thing for any sane person. Sam and Castiel end up as roommates, becoming fast friends. They are in for an interesting first year at The Caeles Institute for Learning.


**Title:** New Beginnings

**Author:** **theblackrose16**

**Beta:** **elsa_kallan**

**Artist: **cloakedhestia**  
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**Summary:** Starting University is a nerve-racking and exciting thing for any sane person. For Sam Winchester, bookworm extraordinaire, it's even more so. He's starting his first year at The Caeles Institute for Learning, a place where the best and brightest go. Castiel Novak is the last of his siblings to be attending The Caeles Institute for Learning. He has a lot to live up to and being the youngest, he has fears that he will never measure up to them. Sam and Castiel end up as roommates, becoming fast friends. Between class schedules, the course load, meeting new people and annoying, interfering siblings, Sam and Castiel are in for an interesting first year at The Caeles Institute for Learning.

**Pairings:** Sam/Castiel (friendship)

**Genre:**AU | Gen with hints of slash

**Warnings:** slight language, references to homophobia, mentions of minor character death

**Rating:** PG-13

**Word****Count:**10, 005

**Written****For:** **sassy_minibang** 2011 on livejournal.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author****'****s****Notes:**I don't live in America and actually don't have any idea how the universities run so I'm making up my own rules and my own university. The legal drinking age for this story is 18. I apologise for any errors or misunderstandings. I loved writing this so much and my muse just would stop with the ideas so I created a new 'verse. This is a part of my Life, Love & Learning 'verse, Friends & Lovers Arc.

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><p><strong>New Beginnings<strong>

Sam looked around his almost bare room with excitement and a lot of nerves. Finally, he was going off to University. He had finished packing all the things that were going with him the previous night, the boxes that had been next to his bedroom door already packed into the back of his dad's trusty, old truck. Exhausted but still extremely excited, the brunette flopped back onto his bed that had been striped of its covers, staring at the off white ceiling above.

This room had been his for the first eighteen years of his life, and now it had an air of being abandoned. It was across from his older brother, Dean's, room although that too was now equally empty of daily clutter, and had been for the last four years except for those brief weeks of holiday, and was down the hall from his parents. Mom hadn't been able to have any more kids after he'd been born. She and dad used to say that he and Dean were their little angels except; when they were behaving like little monsters.

"Sam, time to go," Mary Winchester called out from somewhere downstairs.

"Coming, Mom," Sam yelled back as he stood and made his way out the room.

Standing in the doorway, he stopped and turned to look at his room again, eyes flitting from the cream walls to the bare desk to the empty shelf above it. Taking a deep breath, Sam pulled the door closed and made his way downstairs, ready to start the next chapter of his life.

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><p>Sam stood by his dad's truck door and stared wide eyed around him. The University was nothing like he'd thought, even with all the stories that Dean had told when he'd been home during the various holidays. It was huge, with so many different buildings, some joined with others and some standing by themselves. There were sprawling, lush green lawns and huge, old trees. It was bright and seemed to be buzzing with energy. Hundreds of students were milling about, although a large number of them looked young and utterly lost.<p>

Luckily, Dean had explained where he would have to go first. Biting his lower lip in a fit of nerves, Sam made his way over to a string of tables set out on one of the lawns nearby, leaving his parents waiting patiently by the truck with his belongings. A large, maroon banner above the tables announced "**Registration**" in white letters and a number of RAs were seated behind the wooden tables.

There was a short queue of people in front of them, so as he stood in one of the lines, Sam took the time to look around and try to orientate himself. While he loved his brother, the youngest Winchester was eternally grateful that Dean had drawn him a rudimentary map of the campus, and clued him in on a couple of the short cuts so that he didn't feel at a complete loss like some of the other new students; since Dean would only be returning two days after Sam's arrival.

The lines moved forward and the guy in front of Sam dropped one of the bags clutched in his arms and the suitcase next to him toppled over as the girl in the line beside them knocked into him. The guy wobbled as he tried to hold onto the remaining bag in his arms while simultaneously trying to retrieve his fallen ones.

Immediately and without thought, Sam bent down, picked up the bag and set the suitcase upright again. Standing up, he held out the bag to its owner, and came face to face with one of the brightest pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"Th..thanks," blue eyes stuttered slightly in embarrassment, red crawling its way up his face.

"No problem, I'm Sam. Sam Winchester," the taller boy offered, he would have offered his hand but was afraid that it would cause things to fall over again.

"Castiel Novak," the other boy replied after a short, hesitant pause.

Castiel was shorter than Sam, his head level with Sam's nose. He had dark brown, nearly black hair that was neatly arranged compared to Sam's hair at the present moment and was wearing black slacks and a pale blue button down shirt. He made Sam feel slightly underdressed in his navy jeans and grey hoodie complete with his old, worn sneakers.

"This is my first year. I'm a freshman. Well obviously I'm a freshman if it's my first year. I want to study law. My brother's here. He's busy getting a degree in mechanical engineering, it's his fourth year. Other than Dean, I don't think I really know anyone here but it'll be great to meet new people. Lots of fun. And now I'm rambling. Sorry, I do that sometimes, especially when I'm nervous or excited. Right now I'm nervous as well excited hence the excessive rambling. Okay, I'm just going to shut up now," Sam babbled, stopping to take a deep breath.

Castiel watched him warily, amusement slowly surfacing. People rarely took the time to pay attention to him unless it was one of his siblings, or they wanted to use him for something. He was thought of as just the youngest Novak and nothing else. He was too quiet and shy to make many friends, and the kids in high school had thought him weird for preferring a good book over going to a school football game with everyone else. Over time, Castiel had gotten used to being on his own, it had been difficult but he'd survived. University would be different, his siblings had promised, a chance to start over. He was determined to make t least one friend so he might as well start with the rambling gigantor beside him.

"I am also a freshman and I do not mind the rambling," Castiel answered Sam cautiously, not too sure how to start a conversation.

A large, beaming smile spread across Sam's face at Castiel's answer. Coming to a decision, Sam stepped forward, wrapping an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze.

"I've made a decision. You and I are gonna be friends, Cas," Sam declared completely out of the blue in his usual friendly and open way.

Cas turned slightly to look at him, tilting his head to the side as he stared incredulously at his new self proclaimed friend. He opened his mouth to say something although he wasn't sure what when Sam held up his other hand, halting the words in Castiel's throat.

"Nah uh. No arguments. You will soon learn, my friend, that I can be very stubborn and it's much easier for everyone involved to take the path of least resistance and just agree with me right now," Sam told him as they reached the front of their line at the registration tables.

While Castiel was rendered speechless by his declaration, Sam turned to the RA behind the table and grinned at her, receiving an automatic smile in return.

"Sam Winchester and Castiel Novak checking in," he chirped since Castiel didn't seem to be talking at that precise moment in time.

The young woman shook her head in amusement at his antics, some stray blonde locks falling in her face as she scanned the lists in front of her, finding their names, checking them off and then handing them their papers.

"Thanks," Sam said tugging Castiel by the arm with him out of the line.

"Thank you," the shorter boy called over his shoulder as he allowed his new friend to drag him away.

Sam barely managed to wait until they were out the way of all the people walking around the campus before he stopped. Castiel walked straight into him, face coming in contact with Sam's broad back abruptly.

"Sorry," Cas was quick to apologise.

"My mistake. Sorry, I'll warn you next time before I suddenly stop," Sam smiled apologetically.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Sam eagerly ripped open the envelope he had been given. Scanning the contents, he checked his room assignment before turning to look at his new friend beside him who was going through his papers at a much slower pace.

"Where's your room?" Sam asked, wanting to work out how far away from each other and from Dean they would be.

"It says Room 197, second floor, building block E," Cas informed him as he read off the information.

A glance up at the taller brunette had him pausing in confusion. If Sam had been happy and excited before, it was nothing compared to his current state.

An almost blinding smile was aimed at Castiel as Sam exclaimed, "That's my room. Awesome, looks like you and me are gonna be roommates, Cas."

A short while later found Sam and Cas standing outside their dorm room, carrying their bags while John and Mary Winchester stood behind the two new college students, each carrying a box belonging to their youngest son.

Castiel watched in amusement as Sam grinned at their names on the door proclaiming it as theirs before opening it and stepping inside.

It was beginning to look like living with Sam would be like living with a tamer version of his older brother, Gabriel. After living with Gabriel for thirteen years before he had gone off to college, Castiel liked to think he was a bit more prepared in living with people that could annoy the crap out of you than the average college student. Hell, after his siblings and their escalated pranks wars, most roommates would probably be bordering on boring. He silently liked to think of it as a form of survival training. Shaking his head at his thoughts, he realised that Sam had asked him a question.

"I asked which side of the room you wanted," Sam repeated.

Honestly, Sam didn't mind which side he got, both were the same. Each side had a single bed, a simple wooden desk beside it and next to the desk was a dresser with four draws. The walls were an off white colour and the carpet was a dull grey. The room needed some colour and to look lived in before it would feel like home to Sam but he could work with this.

Castiel looked from one side to the other, not seeing a difference in the slightest.

"How 'bout we each take the side we're standing on," he suggested.

Sam nodded before turning to his parents. John and Mary each gave Sam a hug once they had put down the load that they had been carrying from the truck containing Sam's belongings.

"Have a good year, Sam. Don't forget to call," Mary reminded her youngest son, trying her best not to tear up now that both her children had left the house. Instead, she pulled her long blonde hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. Both her children were now so big although they definitely got their height from their father. Sam was beginning to be taller than even John now though.

"Don't party too hard, son," John teased his son, knowing full well that the younger man would far more likely be found in the library than at some wild party.

Sam merely grinned in response at his father's teasing, knowing that it simple was just that, teasing.

Walking them to the door, Sam received one last hug from both his parents.

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad," he called before closing his new bedroom door and spinning around to face his roommate.

Castiel was watching Sam carefully. He was a quiet person and the idea of having a partying roommate did not sit too well with him. Somehow though, Sam seemed to be able to read his mind. That or he might have had the same concerns.

"Don't worry, Cas. My dad was just teasing. I'm not really the partying type. I mean don't get me wrong. I love meeting new people, but not when they'reso drunk off their asses that they can't even remember their own name let alone mine and make conversation," Sam attempted to reassure Castiel.

It obviously worked when Cas seemed to deflate, falling into a more relaxed stance.

The two began to unpack their belongings, making their room slowly begin to look lived in.

Castiel put up some posters of blown up photos of various nature scenes. There was one of Niagara Falls and another of the Swiss Alps. There were a few smaller ones of the Pyramids of Giza, the Statue of Liberty and Stonehenge that were in black and white. All of them were stunning photos and something to be proud to own.

He unpacked his laptop from one of his bag and placed it on the desk beside his bed. The brunette pulled out the power cable and mouse and then attached them to his laptop.

After packing out his clothes first onto his bed, refolding them and then placing them neatly in the drawers of his dresser, Castiel moved onto unpacking his smaller carry bag. He pulled out several CD's of some of his favourite music. There were CD's from Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Westlife and U2. A couple of photos of various family members found their way onto his desk beside his laptop.

Meanwhile, Sam was sorting out his side of the room. First, he unpacked his clothes straight from his bag into various drawers of the dresser by him. Next, the tall, young man dragged one of his boxes over to his desk and began to unpack his computer that he had brought from home with him to university, he was saving up for a laptop. Quickly and efficiently, Sam hooked up the different wires and then plugged in the computer cable into the outlet just above his desk.

His posters weren't of one thing but of several. There was one a beach at sunset, probably Hawaii or Fiji. Another was of a herd of wild horses running through a field of long grass. One poster was of a large, red fire breathing dragon that took up the entire poster.

There was a shelf above both Sam and Castiel's desks. Each unpacked several of their favourite books that they'd brought from home as well as their course textbooks onto their respective shelves.

Unlike Castiel, Sam had a wide variety of CDs instead of a few select artists. He had CDs from Death Cab for Cutie, Red, Robbie Williams, Green Day, Fallout Boy, Evanescence and a number of other artists. He didn't have many photos with but one of him and Dean from the summer holidays as well as one of him, Dean, Mom and Dad from the previous Christmas were placed on his desk in plain view.

With a sigh of accomplishment, Sam stood and stretched his arms above his head as he finished unpacking the last of his belongings. He looked over at his new friend and noticed Castiel placing his last book beside his bed before he too straightened and glanced across the room at Sam.

Sam couldn't resist grinning at his roommate which Cas returned slowly. Before he could say a word though, there was a knock at the door.

Shooting Cas a questioning look, Sam walked over and opened the door. Standing right outside their door were twogirls. They looked around his age and were roughly the same height, making them quiet a bit shorter than him. One had long, dark red hair hanging loose down her back. She was wearing a pair of tight, skinny black jeans with a lilac T-shirt. A pair of black high heeled boots completed her outfit. The girl beside her had long, dark brown almost black hair similar to Castiel pulled back in a ponytail. She had on a black ACDC T-shirt and dark blue jeans accompanied by black pumps. Both were on the pale side and were looking at him expectantly.

Sam cleared his throat before speaking, a welcoming smile on his face, "Hello, how can I help you ladies?"

The red haired girl answered, "We're looking for Castiel."

Sam opened the door completely and made a sweeping motion with his arm, welcoming them into the room, "He's inside. Why don't you ladies come in?"

The girls smiled at him in response to his offer before stepping into the room. They immediately made their way over to Castiel, each taking a turn to hug him as he greeted them.

"Anna. Tessa."

"Hey, Cas," Tessa, the one with the dark brown/black hair greeted him in return.

Castiel looked over at Sam and motioned him over to them in order to make introductions.

"This is my roommate and friend, Sam. Sam, these are my sisters, Anna and Tessa."

Sam fairly bounced on the balls of his feet at the announcements.

"Hi. It's so great to meet you. Do the two of you go here as well? What are you studying? Do you like it here?" Sam bombarded them with questions.

Anna and Tessa shared a bemused look before looking at the younger in question. Castiel shook his head in amusement. Sam had warned him that he babbled and it appeared that he hadn't been joking. Not one bit. It seemed like Sam was a force of nature, a verifiable whirlwind of enthusiasm that picked you up before you even knew what was happening.

"Is he always like that?" Tessa whispered not so softly.

"From what I've seen, yeah," Castiel answered, grinning at Sam's look of mock indignation.

"We're both in our third year this year. I'm studying to be a middle school teacher," Tessa answered first.

"I'm doing fashion design," Anna added, "What about you, Sam?"

"I wanna do law," he cheerfully replied, the excitement of the day having not faded from his system yet.

A phone beeped. Patting her pant's pocket, Anna pulled out a cellphone, checked her text message and then looked sideways at her sister.

"We gotta go, Jo just arrived at the apartment," she informed Tessa.

"It was great meeting you, Sam."

"See you soon, Cas, Sam."

The girls left with a wave over their shoulders.

"Are they twins?" Sam asked Castiel curiously, unable to come up with any other explanation to them being sisters and the same apparent age, unless of course one was a year older.

"Yes, they are. Do you have any siblings?" Castiel couldn't resist asking, wanting to get to know his new friend in return.

Sam made his way to his bed and sat cross-legged facing Cas's bed, getting comfortable. Castiel was quick to copy Sam's actions, facing Sam's bed.

"I have one brother, Dean. You'll meet him soon. He also goes here. He's studying mechanical engineering. Dean's four years older than me. What about you?"

Castiel eyed Sam nervously as he began, many people thought that his family was a little on the weird side, "Well, I have seven siblings."

"Seven?" Sam asked surprised but not wanting to sound rude or intruding.

Castiel blushed anyway, "Yeah, seven."

Sam was really intrigued now, "Do you mind telling me about them. I don't want to pry though."

Cas smiled at Sam's response. Most people weren't that interested in his unusual family until they found out who they were, and then it was just for what they could gain through knowing them.

"Michael and Lucien are twins and they're the oldest. They just turned thirty this summer. Michael is the more serious one but they're both really smart and Lucien has a great sense of humour. The others all have nicknamed him Lucifer behind his back. They don't mean it in a horrible way though; he just sometimes has the devil's own temper. Michael and Lucien also raised the rest of us. Now, they run their own company together. My brother, Raphael, is twenty eight and is their CFO. He's very serious most of the time but when he relaxes, he's major fun to be around.

Next is Balthazar. Balthazar is the laid back one in the family. He's twenty six and has his own restaurant. You might know it. It's called Harlequin."

"I know that place. Dean and I love going there," Sam interrupted him, answering his unasked question.

Cas smiled again. He seemed to be doing that a lot in Sam's presence.

"I'll be sure to tell him that. Maybe next time you and Dean could come with me when I go there," He offered shyly, afraid that for all Sam said he wanted to be his friend, he might not want him to go out with him and his brother.

Sam didn't notice his hesitancy, instead excited about his offer.

"Are you kidding? We'd love to," he immediately answered, privately thinking that Dean was going to love him for this. It would also be a chance to meet more of Castiel's family. It was obvious that they meant a lot to him with the way in which he spoke of them.

"Who's next?" Sam inquired, eager to hear about Castiel's other siblings.

"Next is Gabriel," Cas began slowly, unsure of how to describe his brother, "Gabriel is twenty four and is earning his M.D as a cardiac surgeon. He's an intern at Caeles Hospital. All those studying medicine here get an internship there and later residency if they want it since it's such a select group."

"What's he like? Do you guys not get along or something?" Sam asked, cautiously not wanting to prod at any sore spots.

With all his other brothers, Castiel had added little tidbits of their personality but with Gabriel, Cas seemed almost hesitant to say anything.

"No. Gabriel and I are very close. It's just that… well, Gabe is a law unto himself. The others have nicknamed him "The Trickster" and he lives up to it fully. He also has a crazy addiction to sweets, chocolate in particular despite being a doctor. Some people are put off by him though. His sense of humour is an acquired taste."

"The same could be said of Dean. He and I used to have these epic pranks wars that always escalated. We drove Mom insane sometimes," Sam added hoping to reassure Castiel. He'd noticed very quickly that Cas had very little self confidence but obviously loved his family. It seemed to be an easy way to draw him out of his shell.

Castiel grinned at Sam in thanks to his easy acceptance. It would appear that he'd been extremely lucky when it came to who his roommate was.

"After Gabriel, there's Anna and Tessa, whom you've already met. They're twenty. The only girls in the family. My older brothers tend to be very protective of us younger siblings, even more so with the girls and then me, the baby of the family," he pulled a face as he said the last, causing Sam to chuckle.

"I probably don't have it as bad as you but I'm also the baby of the family," Sam shared with Castiel, bonding over being the youngest in their respective families.

Still smiling, Sam went over everything that Castiel had told him in his head and realised something.

"Cas?" he started hesitantly.

"Yes, Sam?"

"You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. You can tell me to mind my own business if you want and I will but what about your parents? You said Michael and Lucien raised the rest of you," Sam spoke quietly, afraid of upsetting Castiel.

Castiel frowned, "I don't mind you asking. It's only logical that you would ask. It's just somewhat of a sore topic in my family, especially for my older brothers. I don't really remember all that much.

My mom died just before I turned six. She had leukaemia. I remember her being really sick, that's about it. My dad was never around especially as mom got sicker. I guess he just couldn't deal with it," Castiel shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, like the thought didn't bother him, but Sam could see that it clearly did.

"After Mom died, he took off. Michael and Lucien had barely turned eighteen that summer. Rather than letting us go to foster homes and be split up while they got on with their lives, they decided to raise us. I don't know how they did it. I mean I'm eighteen now, the same age that they were and I honestly don't know if I could have been as strong as them.

My grandfather left the eight of us his company in a trust fund when he died a month after mom. Michael and Lucien took it over so they at least had a way in which to provide for us. We all have shares in the company but aside from Raphael, who's their CFO, the rest of us leave it to Michael and Lucien to make the decisions regarding the company. Now that we're all of age, we're going to have to attend the yearly Board meeting but beyond that, it's Michael and Lucien's company essentially.

Anyway, we haven't heard from our father since the day he walked out. It doesn't really bother me so much. Michael and Lucien are the best parents/big brothers I could ever have asked for, so it doesn't feel like I missed out on something," Cas revealed to Sam with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, Cas. I'm glad you had your brothers though," Sam quietly told him, unable to imagine his mom dead and dad walking out on him and Dean although Dean would have raised him, of that he was sure.

Castiel smiled at the taller boy reassuringly before brightening.

"What about your parents?"

"Well, my parents' names are John and Mary Winchester. My dad was a marine before he became a mechanic and opened his own garage. He still has it. It's actually what got Dean interested in mechanical engineering. Mom's a physio therapist. Her and her partner, Missouri have their own little practice. Both mom and dad's parents died before they got married, so Dean and I don't have any living grandparents."

"Mine too," Castiel told him, unknowingly answering Sam's thoughts of where his grandparents had been when his dad had left and why they hadn't helped out.

"So now they have the house to themselves again, at least for the majority of the year," Sam ended happily.

A thought occurred to him suddenly, "Hey, Cas?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"You've told me all about everyone except yourself. What are you studying? Whadda you like to do?"

Castiel looked at him surprised.

"I'm studying anthropology. I'm not much of a party person as you know. Like you, I much prefer a good book or a movie."

Out of nowhere, Sam's stomach began grumbling. He pulled out his cellphone and checked the time, surprised at how late it had gotten without them noticing while they had talked.

"Wow, we've been in here all day. We even missed lunch and my stomach doesn't appreciate that. Wha'd ya say we go and get some dinner?" he asked enthusiastically.

Castiel's reply was to stand up from his bed and grab a dark grey sweater from where it was hanging over his desk chair.

"Where you wanna go?" Sam asked curiously, rising from his bed to follow suit.

"Gabriel told me of this diner just off campus. We could go there."

"Excellent," Sam was already mentally licking his lips at the thought of food.

Sam grabbed a sweater and followed Castiel out the room, pausing to lock the door behind them.

The pair made their way down the stairs and out the building in comfortable silence. Once they were outside, Castiel began walking in the direction of the parking lot and curious, Sam followed close behind him. He was surprised when Cas, stopped by a black Jeep Wrangler, making his way over to the driver's door. He deactivated the alarm, unlocked the door and climbed in after motioning for Sam to do the same. Sam was quick to comply.

"This is a really nice car," Sam began cautiously, unsure as to how to phrase his next question.

Castiel glanced at him sideways in amusement as he reversed out of the parking lot. He had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing at Sam's hesitant facial expression.

"You still haven't made the connection yet, have you?" he asked his friend, finding it refreshing that someone didn't know who he was, and that Sam had made friends with him for no ulterior motives.

Sam shook his head, utterly bewildered as to what his roommate could be referring to. Frantically, he racked his brain for something he could have potentially missed and came up a complete and utter blank.

"Honestly, Cas. I have no idea what you're talking about," he finally confessed, giving up on figuring out what he had meant by his statement.

Castiel spoke as he drove them to the diner, "That company that Michael and Lucien took over. It's called Novak Industries."

Sam frowned in thought, the name ringing a bell but he couldn't quite remember why, "I know that name. Where do I know that name from?"

"It deals with and owns nearly everything from property to shopping malls to some of the latest developments in IT and software."

"Wait, now I know what you're talking about. Novak Industries is owned by the Novak siblings. You guys own like half of America or something," Sam exclaimed, astonished at what Castiel had revealed.

Castiel blushed and, if he hadn't been driving, he'd have ducked his head and looked down at the floor in acute embarrassment.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it," Sam apologised, noticing that Castiel was uncomfortable.

"It's okay. A lot of people only get close to us for what they can get though."

"I swear I didn't know, Cas," Sam was quick to point out.

"I know, Sam," Castiel grinned at him before turning to look back at the road.

"Anyway, the cars are one of the few things that Michael and Lucien don't mind indulging us in. They'd rather we had expensive, reliable cars than the normal second hand-might-break-down-any-moment cars most students have. In my family, we also have a thing for speed. If you go fast enough it almost feels like you're flying. It's the closest you get without actually getting on a plane.

We each get access to our own trust fund when we turn twenty one on condition that we don't go insane with the money. Before that, we get a generous allowance."

"Sounds reasonable," Sam commented as Castiel pulled into the diner's parking lot, "Dean got the Impala for his twenty first birthday. He absolutely loves that car. Calls it his baby."

There were several cars in the lot by the diner. A couple were small, a few years old, most probably belonging to students. There was also a pickup truck and a mini van. Close to the diner's door were two other cars parked side by side. These were different than the other cars and they stood out. One was a sleek, black Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, its licence plate proclaiming the owner as "Loki" to the world and the other was a stunning, red Porsche 911 Turbo.

"Gabriel's back," Cas remarked, sounding surprised as he pulled into the space beside the Aston Martin.

"How'd you know your brother's back?" Sam asked as he climbed out the car, allowing Cas to lock it and set the alarm. He was sure that Cas hadn't gotten a message or something in the short ride over.

Castiel moved to stand on the pavement facing the fancy cars. He pointed first to the black Aston Martin and then the red Porsche.

"That's Gabriel's and that one's Anna's," he explained.

"You wanna join them?" Sam immediately asked his new friend.

Castiel turned to look at him curiously, "You don't mind?"

"Nah, course I don't, Cas. As long as you don't."

Smiling thankfully at Sam, the pair entered the diner, a bell dinging overhead as the door opened. Sam glanced around, observing his surroundings. The walls were a deep cream colour with some black and white photographs. The tables, counters and seats were black. There were booths all along both the wall and the windows opposite. For a diner, it was tastefully decorated.

"Cas. Sam," a girl's voice called out to them from across the diner, waving her hand to get their attention.

Castiel walked ahead with Sam following behind him. It had been Anna that had called out to them. Sam recognised her red hair. She was sitting with some other people in one of the back, large corner booths. When Sam got closer, he was able to see that Tessa was also there, sitting beside a blonde girl along with two other guys, one of whom he assumed was Gabriel.

They came to a halt as they reached the booth and one of the guys, the brunette one sitting beside Anna, slid out the booth and stood up in one fluid motion.

"Castiel," he greeted, happily, arms moving to enfold Cas in a tight hug.

"Hi, Gabriel," Cas responded, returning the hug that his brother caught him up in.

Sam watched them with a smile on his face. Gabriel was slightly shorter than Castiel. He had dark brown hair and caramel eyes that seemed to shine with delight as though he knew a secret, or several of them. He was wearing black jeans with a light brown button-down shirt, the first three buttons undone showing a silver chain that he was wearing around his neck. He was wearing a silver ring that had some engravings on his thumb, similar to the one that Dean wore.

Gabriel pulled away from his baby brother and turned towards the tall stranger standing beside him.

"Who do we have here?" he queried, raising an eyebrow in question, making him look even more mischievous.

"This is my friend, Sam. He's also my roommate," Cas told his older brother, "Sam, this is my brother, Gabriel."

Sam held out his hand. His mother had drilled manners into both him and Dean since they were very little and just because she was hours away didn't mean that he wasn't going to use them. Just in case she had a way of finding out.

"Nice to meet you."

Gabriel arched a brow at him before reaching forward and shaking Sam's hand. Gabriel's hand was soft and his hold firm. A strange feeling began tingling in his hand and working it's way up his arm. It was almost like pins and needles except it was a lot more pleasant. Brown eyes stared into caramel ones, neither looking away nor so much as blinking.

"You too, Sam," Gabriel responded, not yet letting go of Sam's hand or breaking eye contact.

"Gabriel, move and let the boys into the booth already," Anna suddenly piped up from behind them, startling them into looking away and towards the booth.

Everyone already seated, shifted to make room for the new arrivals. Tessa took over the introductions. She seemed to be the quieter, level headed sister.

"Sam, this is Nathan, my boyfriend," she indicated the man beside her, sitting at the one end of their booth. Next, she pointed to her other side, "This is Jo, mine and Anna's best friend. The three of us share an apartment off campus."

"Hey," Jo, the blonde girl, greeted Sam and Castiel. She'd met Castiel before over the course of her friendship with Anna and Tessa.

"Obviously you've just met Gabriel and you know Anna," Tessa concluded.

Sam ended up sitting on the other end of the booth, next to Castiel and opposite Nathan. Anna was between Castiel and Gabriel. Just then a waitress made her way over to their table and asked for their orders.

"I'd like a beef and cheese burger with chips and a coke," Nathan ordered as the waitress started at one end of the booth.

Next Tessa ordered, "I'd like a chicken mayonnaise toasted sandwich, please. A coke also sounds good."

Jo and Anna ordered ham, tomato and cheese toasted sandwiches each with a coke. Castiel ordered a chicken burger while Sam asked for a veggie wrap, both orders with a coke each. Gabriel, however, was a different story.

"I'll have a double chocolate milkshake and waffles with ice cream and chocolate sauce."

His siblings merely rolled their eyes at his order used to his extremely sweet tooth, Nathan laughed quietly, while Jo and Sam stared at him in amazement.

"What? I already ate on my way back when I stopped by Balto's place," Gabriel said, his hands thrown up mock defensively.

"Balto? Isn't that the Disney dog?" Sam whispered to Castiel, as the waitress left to place their orders.

Unfortunately he hadn't spoken as quietly as he had meant to, resulting in Tessa snorting in laughter. Gabriel looked at him, eyes sparkling with glee at the new ammunition that Sam had unwittingly provided.

"You know – I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Sasquatch."

The others around the table groaned at his mischievous facial expression. It never boded well for anyone involved. Anna had a brief thought of warning Balthazar that their brother was planning something but dismissed it just as quickly. There was no way she was getting involved in one of Gabriel's prank wars. The last time that had happened, she'd ended up with neon green hair complete with sparkling glitter that had taken weeks to get out.

"Sam, you need to learn to ignore everything that Gabriel says and quickly, before you provided him with anymore ammunition against everyone," Castiel told his friend quickly, slightly alarmed at what ideas Sam could give his brother.

Gabriel kicked him lightly in response to his comment.

"Oi, bro. That's my new ally that you're trying to turn against me there."

Nathan shook his head laughing. He'd been dating Tessa for five years now and he was still surprised and amused by Gabriel's antics. The prank wars that the Novak siblings got into were epic though. He'd even been caught in the cross fire a time or two. Brilliant memories, but he didn't want to add to them anytime soon. Gabriel always won, hands down.

"How was New Orleans. Gabriel?" Tessa jumped in, trying to distract her brothers.

"It was good, nice to have a break," the brunette answered, his smile relaxed, "I saw Mikey, Luci and Raphi before driving down here, stopped at Balto's to grab some grub."

Gabriel had been intending to drive straight to his small apartment just off campus and then see his younger siblings the next morning. On his way home though, he had spotted Anna's car in the diner parking lot and had suddenly been overcome with the urge to have dessert. Well, more dessert since he'd already had some strawberry shortcake by his brother but the others didn't need to know that. He'd also been planning to phone Cas once he had gotten home to check on his little brother.

"Hey, Cas. I'm glad to see you and Sam get along. I was gonna phone you later tonight and check if I needed to come kick your roommate's ass," he told his younger brother, wanting to make sure that Cas knew he hadn't been intentionally excluded from this little impromptu get together. Gabriel's tone may have been light but it had a steel undertone. Having to kick someone's ass had clearly been necessary in at least one point in their lives.

"Thanks, Gabe," the blue-eyed young man uttered softly, comforted by his brother's assurance even though it wasn't necessary.

Sam watched the two with a tiny grin. It was good to see that Dean wasn't the only overprotective older brother. Castiel was shy, awkward and cautious so it was probably a good thing. It made Sam's head hurt and his teeth clench in anger at the thought of the people that had surely tried to use the gentle, young man for their own ends. It would certainly explain why Castiel had been wary when he had met him earlier.

"How's Kali?" Anna enquired curiously. She didn't understand how Gabriel and Kali could be so close, the best of friends, and yet had never even tried to be together but they both swore that they had no interest in each other and if they ever were together that they'd kill each other inside of a week. They'd all agreed long ago though, to stay out of everyone else's business, otherwise someone in the family would have committed fratricide by now, maybe even more than one of them.

"She's good. She'll be back tomorrow, wanted to stop and see Baldor tonight," he added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Kali and Baldor had been dancing around each other for the last two years. Only recently had they begun to acknowledge that their feelings towards each other were not all together platonic. It was beyond time if anyone asked Gabriel, which considering it had taken them this long, no one had.

Seeing Sam's questioning look at the unknown names from across the table, Tessa explained to him, "Kali is Gabriel's best friend. They practically grew up together."

Just then their waitress brought their food, having to make several trips before they all had plates in front of them.

The group spent the rest of the meal talking and laughing. The Novaks spent time regaling the others with stories of some of the pranks that had been pulled in their house over the years.

That night when Castiel and Sam made it back to their room and climbed into their beds, both were looking forward to the next four years of university. Sam fell asleep easily. He had the numerous camping trips and Dean's light snoring to thank for his ability to fall asleep nearly anywhere so quickly.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning was greeted with warm sunlight and the light chirping of birds in the nearby trees. Castiel and Sam decided to spend the day exploring the campus. Standing in front of their building, Sam turned to look at his shorter friend.<p>

"Where'd you wanna go first, Cas?" he asked, not caring where they started.

Castiel pointed to the one side of the campus, "Why don't we start there and work our way back here."

Sam grinned, "Let's go."

The pair walked past a number of grass areas where students were sitting under trees. Others were playing football. Sam had to duck at one point as a wild, bright red frisbee nearly took off his head. Castiel thought it was hilarious and had to stop to catch his breath, he had laughed so hard.

"Ha ha, Cas. It wasn't that funny," Sam pouted, not really upset with his blue eyed friend.

Castiel doubled over as his laughter got the better of him, clutching his stomach. The entire situation was hilarious to him and Sam pouting only heightened the hilarity.

They resumed their stroll once he could breathe again, stopping upon reaching the campus library. Sam was in bookworm heaven as he looked around wide eyed. His fingers were itching to grab a book and begin reading. The tall brunette glanced sideways at his companion and found a similar expression on Cas's face.

Castiel turned and found Sam eyeing him. A smile crept up on his face and an answering grin spread across Sam's face. He had no idea how he had gotten so lucky as to end up with a roommate that he got along with so easily but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The next couple of hours passed in a blur as they resumed walking around campus, orientating themselves with where everything was. Sam's rumbling stomach reminded them that they'd eaten breakfast hours ago around one. Luckily soon after, they found the cafeteria. Each got themselves some food and grabbed one of the smaller tables outside.

"What's your first class on Monday?" Sam asked before he took a bite of his lunch.

Castiel looked up at him from his mac and cheese, "English 101 with Professor Malito, you?"

"Same," Sam beamed across the table at him.

Things just got better and better. Now he wouldn't have to go to his first class of university and not know a single soul. He would have Castiel with him. Having Cas in his class would also ensure that he didn't sleep through his alarm, although just having him as a roommate should ensure that.

The new friends spent the rest of the day continuing their exploration of the campus. The grounds were full of windingpaths, leading all over the campus in all directions. At one point, they had come across the Greek fraternities. Sam had confessed that he didn't find them in the least bit appealing and wouldn't even be bothering to pledge. Castiel instantly agreed with him, not that he had anything against the Greek System. He just didn't think he would fit in all that well. School was also very important to both Sam and Cas. They didn't want to add the pressure of belonging to a fraternity and going through pledging to their respective plates.

Anna phoned Castiel that evening to invite the two of them to karaoke night at the college bar; they weren't too keen on drinking but Anna mentioned that Gabriel would be there and Cas said that they couldn't miss the opportunity to watch Gabriel's one man show. Even Sam, who had only met the other man the previous night, had to agree that it was worth it just to see what Gabriel would be getting up to. Castiel didn't drink often anyway and Sam only had the occasional beer with his dad and Dean.

Castiel drove them over to the bar also just off campus grounds; it was called The Red Square. Sam was able to spot Anna and the rest of the group over the heads of all the people inside. It was one of the perks of being so tall. Cas grumbled good naturedly under his breath as he followed behind his friend when Sam said as much to him. The same group from the dinner minus one were sitting around a high table to one side of the room, all facing towards the stage. Tessa laughed as she pointed to the stage behind the newly arrived pair, drawing Castiel and Sam's attention to the current singer.

Sam promptly almost swallowed his tongue when he saw who was on stage. It was Gabriel. Gabriel, who was up on the stage singing a southern cowboy song as loud as he could while still hitting the right notes. He was also dressed to the teeth for his performance. The older man was wearing faded blue jeans with genuine brown leather cowboy boots complete with little silver coloured metal spurs and everything. A red and white stripped shirt added to the hilarious image, especially since Gabriel had pinned a gold sheriff's badge to it. Where he had gotten it, Sam had absolutely no idea. Considering some of the stories that Sam had heard last night, he was afraid to ask.

To finish off his outfit, Gabriel had a brown leather cowboy hat on his head that he was tipping obligingly to the audience as they broke into applause and whistles at the end of the song.

Sam, Castiel and the rest of the group cheered the loudest in the crowd, Anna and Tessa accompanied their clapping with piercing wolf whistles at their brother's performance. Gabriel smirked widely before jumping down off the stage and making his way over to the group, navigating through the crowd easily.

Everyone clapped and cheered as he returned to their table, Gabriel taking another bow prior to reclaiming his seat beside the one that Sam was now sitting on.

"Cas, Sam," he tipped his hat to the two new comers in greeting.

Castiel's lips twitched in amusement at his brother's antics. Despite having grown up with the other man, Gabriel still continued to surprise and entertain him endlessly. He didn't think that it would ever change and he didn't want it to.

"You enjoying yourself, Gabe?" the younger man asked with laughter in his voice.

"Ya betcha," was the energetic man's reply.

Sam shook his head in amazement. His new group of friends were quite the characters. Gabriel's voice from beside him jerked his thoughts back to the present and to what was being said by the shorter man.

"You're up next, Sasquatch."

Sam absently nodded in agreement before he realised exactly what Gabriel had said and he had agreed to.

"Wait, what?"

The shorter brunette smirked mischievously with a touch of evil delight at the look on Sam's face before speaking.

"I signed everyone up for a song," Gabriel announced loudly to be heard over the music, looking so far from the picture of innocence that he was trying to project, it would have been funny had he not just informed them that they all would be singing on stage.

"What?"

"Gabriel!"

"Oh hell, no."

"Awesome."

"Excellent."

Anna and Jo seemed to be the only ones that were excited by Gabriel's announcement.

"I'm far too sober for this," Nathan declared, pushing away from the table and heading to the bar to grab a round of drinks for everyone. Tessa agreed wholeheartedly with her boyfriend and went to help him retrieve their drinks, weaving her way around the throng of people between them and the bar.

"Next up we have Anna and Jo who will be singing Forever Young," someone announced over the speakers.

The two girls squealed in excitement, jumped out of their chairs and quickly made their way over to the stage.

Castiel laughed at his sister and her friend's obvious excitement. Knowing Gabriel like he did, he knew that before the night was through, each and every one of them would end up on the stage. Years of living with his brother had taught him that it was far easier to take the path of least resistance and just go along with Gabriel's idea. His older brother had always found ways to make sure that their family had fun and lightened up over the years, despite their sometimes serious circumstances.

Castiel looked over at Sam, who was laughing at Anna and Jo's performance. He hadn't had a friend outside of his family in a long time. Regardless of the fact that he and Sam had only known each other for such a short period of time, he felt positive that they would become the best of friends. There was just something about Sam that inspired trust.

The night passed quickly. Every member of their group found their way up onto the stage, sometimes with Gabriel giving them a little nudge in the right direction. He didn't actually have to drag them up like he had threatened to do, but no one doubted that he would have done just that.

Tessa, naturally, sang Don't You Want Me with Nathan while Cas and Sam sang a duet to Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born to Follow. Gabriel went back on stage, this time singing TNT by ACDC. Anna and Jo had enjoyed themselves so much the first time that they, too went back and sang a second time. The second song that they chose was Back To Black.

Sam and Castiel eventually made their way back to their room amidst a lot of laughter and the promise of seeing the others at some point the next day, although Sam did tell them that Dean was expected back so he'd be bust at some point. Castiel had only had one beer and was able to drive them back to their dorm. Exhausted after their busy day, the both of them fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their respective soft pillows.

* * *

><p>Sam was excited as he woke on Sunday. Today was the day that his brother would be arriving.<p>

"How long has it been since you've seen your brother?" Castiel asked him at breakfast as he made his way through a couple of pancakes while Sam ate a strawberry flavoured yogurt and a red apple.

"Three weeks. Dean and a couple of his friends went to Miami. I know to a lot of people three weeks isn't that long, but Dean and I are really close."

"You don't have to explain it to me, Sam. One of eight here," Cas told him, raising his hand slightly as he spoke.

* * *

><p>Dean pitched up at Sam and Castiel's dorm room shortly after lunch.<p>

"Hiya, Sammy," Dean greeted him when he opened the door.

"Dean. How was Miami?" Sam asked curiously as he let Dean into the room, wrapping his brother in a quick hug.

"Awesome. Babes, beer and the beach. What more could a guy ask for?" Dean answered with a cheshire cat grin on his face.

Looking around the room, Dean spotted Sam's roommate sitting at his desk. He turned to give his brother a questioning look.

"Dean, this is Castiel. Cas, this is my brother, Dean," Sam introduced them as Castiel rose from his seat and made his way over to greet Dean.

"Hi there," Dean grinned at Castiel.

"Hello," Cas returned, smiling warmly at Sam's brother.

Dean was incredibly good looking. He was wearing dark blue jeans that moulded him perfectly with a black shirt and an old brown leather jacket over. A gold amulet hung from a black cord around his neck.

"Sam said you're doing Mechanical Engineering?" Castiel began, attempting to make conversation to hide his nerves.

Dean smiled at him, "Yeah. It's really interesting. I'm loving it. And you? What are you doing?"

"Anthropology. I find it extremely fascinating."

"Especially since you have seven brothers and sisters," Sam chipped in.

Dean's eyes widened at this piece of information.

"There are eight kids in your family?" he asked, slightly incredulously.

Castiel blushed and bit his lower lip as he nodded.

"That's cool, man," Dean assured him, sensing Castiel's discomfort and wanting to put him at ease.

Castiel smiled at him gratefully. The beeping of Sam's cellphone interrupted any further conversation as a text message came through for him.

"Jo wants to know if we wanna join them. They're on their way to the diner."

Castiel shrugged, "It's up to you. I can go alone if you want to use this time to catch up with Dean," he offered, completely understanding if Sam wanted some time.

Dean shook his head, "Don't let me disrupt any plans."

"Why don't you just come with, Dean?" Sam suggested, glancing at Castiel in question and gaining a nod in reply.

Dean grinned, "Sure."

"It's the diner you told me about. You come in the Impala?" his younger brother asked him even though he already knew the answer.

Dean looked at Sam as though he had grown an extra head, "You should know by now, I'd never leave my baby behind, Sammy."

"It's Sam," he responded more out of habit than anything else, exasperated at Dean's attachment to his car.

He turned and gave Castiel an I-told-you-so-smile. Castiel grinned in response, grabbed his keys and made his way to the parking lot, giving Sam and Dean a chance to talk privately if they wanted to.

As Sam was walking out the room ahead of his brother, Dean grabbed his arm to gain his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Sam, have you told him?" Dean asked seriously.

Sam didn't need to be told what Dean was asking.

"No, not yet."

"You need to if you want to avoid problems later, Sammy."

"I know, Dean. I'll tell him on the ride over, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Bitch."

"Jerk."

Dean climbed in the Impala and drove towards the diner as Sam and Castiel followed in Cas's Jeep.

Sam sat in his seat fidgeting nervously as he worked up his nerve.

"Sam?" Castiel spoke, worry underlying his voice.

"I'm gay, Cas," Sam blurted out.

Castiel's eyes widened at this piece of information that had come out of left field. When Cas didn't respond, Sam began to worry.

"Look, if it's a problem, I can…"

"No," Castiel cut him off before he could offer to move out, "I don't have a problem. Why would you think it would be a problem?"

"Once when I was on camp, one of the guys moved dorms so he didn't have to sleep in the room with a gay guy and my chemistry partner transferred classes when I came out," Sam told him softly.

He was extremely lucky that his family had stood behind him when he had come out to them and the rest of the world after but every time someone slighted him because he was gay, it still hurt Sam.

"Sam, I promise that I don't have a problem with it. Besides, if I did I would be the world's biggest hypocrite," Castiel added with a smile, jerking Sam's attention to him.

"Yeah?"

Castiel had to smile, "Yeah."

They both relaxed in their seats now that they had one less thing to be concerned about. Sam knew that Dean would kick anyone's ass that made a problem for him and he had a feeling that all of Castiel's brothers and sisters would be the same way.

"Do the others…" Sam trailed off.

"My siblings all know I am gay. It's not a secret, Sam. What about you?"

"Dean and my parents know, don't worry."

Castiel parked between Gabriel and Dean's cars. Sam climbed out, looking at his older brother who was admiring Gabriel's car. Dean glanced at him questioningly and Sam smiled back reassuringly resulting in Dean relaxing his stance.

"That's Gabriel's," Sam told him, gesturing to the black Aston Martin.

Dean frowned in confusion at the new name, "Who is Gabriel?"

"One of Castiel's older brothers," Sam promptly answered, enjoying Dean's gobsmacked facial expression.

Just then another car pulled up, one Sam wasn't familiar with but going by the style it definitely belonged to a Novak. It was a yellow Ferrari F430. Once it was turned off, the driver climbed out, revealing that the car belonged to Tessa.

Sam took it upon himself to make introductions as the people climbed out of the car.

"Dean, this is Anna and Tessa, Cas's sisters. That's Jo their best friend and Nathan, Tessa's boyfriend. Guys, this is my brother, Dean."

Once the pleasantries were exchanged, Anna gestured inside.

"Let's go in shall we, before Gabriel eats everything with sugar in it?"

The others laughed, filing into the diner and heading to the booth where Gabriel was already lazing.

Sam stopped before entering the diner and looked up at the cloudless sky, the sun shining down gently on his face. This year was looking to be one of the best in this young life. He was at university with his brother. Both his parents were still alive and together. He had an awesome roommate that was incredibly easy to get along with and a group of people he could happily become life long friends with. It was definitely looking to be an interesting year, especially if Gabriel was around. If Sam was honest with himself, he really wanted to get to know the older man a lot better.

The sound of laughter drifted out the door of the diner as it was pushed open, the little bell above it dinging.

"Sammy, are you coming or what?" Dean demanded, sticking his head out the door, green eyes focused on his younger brother, checking to see if anything was wrong.

Sam turned towards his brother, "I'm coming. Keep your panties on."

"Bitch," was Dean's immediate response, a big grin spreading across his face at the assurance that nothing was wrong with Sam and his brother was just being a girl.

"Jerk," Sam uttered softly, following Dean back inside the diner and heading towards the table full of his new friends.

The End… For Now

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I would first off like to give a really big thank you to my artist, cloakedhestia. You were absolutely amazing and I can't imagine better art for my story. You made me love this story even more. Thanks so much. I look forward to working with you again someday.

Thanks to my beta, elsa_kallan, who put up with some of my crazy ideas and helped when my muse took an unscheduled vacation. Your help always means a lot to me. I love you girl.

Thank you to the mods of the sassy_minibang. Without you, I don't know if I would have started writing this, let alone finished it. Thanks so much for hosting this challenge.


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